Betty Londergan is an everyday women
living in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the founder of
What Gives 365 which
entails giving $100 away everyday for a year and blogging about the
incredible people and causes she is supporting.
Betty
is using her expertise in advertising to promote the extraordinary
people and their organizations that are creating positive changes in
their communities and worldwide. While $100 might not seem like much,
her project of “pay it forward” is having a ripple effect around the
world.
Q. Tell us about the What Gives 365 Project.A.
What Gives 365 is my “pay it forward” to the world. Every day in 2010,
I am giving away $100 to a person, cause or organization that I think
is making the world a better place.
Q. What was the impetus behind your project?A.
I went to see Julie and Julia and I thought if I were to blog every day
for a year what would I do? Standing in my kitchen I thought, “I'm
going to give away money.”
Q. How did you decide on the amount of $100 a day?A.
It was completely random. I had some money that my dad had left me, my
dad passed away about five years ago, and they were very philanthropic.
It's actually turned into this amazing and incredible journey.
It's taken a completely different direction than anything I would have
envisioned when I started it, and it's so exciting because people write
to me and I hear about the projects and work people are doing around
the world. It's so inspiring.
Q. How are you selecting the people or organizations to give $100 to everyday?A.
There is an invitation on my blog called Vicarious Giving. If you write
to me about something that you love, and you're really passionate
about, and it's something that grabs me then I'll support your cause.
I'm
looking for compassion and commitment and something where I can feel
the person's heart. It can be a small thing, and it's about helping
other people and the planet.
Q. Tell me about the ripple effect your project has created.A.
I love to write and wanted to help these causes and put some positive
energy out there because there is so much negative news all the time. I
wanted to create something that would make people feel good.
I
published this story about a man in Nigeria who created a farmer's
radio station. He started with $300 and had to raise $6,500. Another
person who read the blog gave him the money. He already has 225,000
listeners and has helped raise their agricultural productivity by 40%.
If
I do nothing but get him to the
Unreasonable Institute in Colorado so
people can invest in him and he is able to reach four million people as
a result, that would be my most phenomenal goal ever.
Another
example is a nurse who wrote to me from North Carolina who has AIDS.
She wanted to advocate on behalf of the other women in her community
who have AIDS. So, she was raising money to buy a computer. Another
person read the blog and sent her a computer and a printer.
Q. Your project ends December 31, 2010. What do you think you'll do afterwards?A.
I think next year I want to go to some of the places I've written
about. I want to go to this orphanage in Nepal and see the African
Library Project.
Q. Do you think women have a different connection with money than men?A.
I think so. I've noticed this movement with women helping women. I
think it's the new thing, women in groups who are helping and
advocating for other women around the world. I think to women money
represents freedom and security.
Q. What is your message to women about the importance of utilizing their purchase power?A.
We are the decision makers. I think that gives us more power than we
could possibly imagine, and it's so critical that we start making those
decisions in a more intelligent and intentional way. That goes for the
food we eat. We could change agri-business in our country if we chose
to. If women said, “We're not buying anything that's packed with
pesticides that's dangerous for our kids,” we could change it.
Q. How can everyday women support the work you're doing?A.
If you read my blog long enough, I don't think you could resist at
least one of the causes I've blogged about. Just give, even if it's
$10. And if you can't give, just to know about it and tell people about
the things you're reading, I think that's really powerful. Sometimes
it's not about money; sometimes it's just about awareness or
volunteering. To be part of something that is bigger than you is part
of the solution and feel the connectedness between us all.
See Jane Do is a multimedia program
capturing the stories of everyday women doing extraordinary things for
the planet. Catch the one-hour talk radio program on KVMR 89.5FM the
first Wednesday of every month at 1 p.m. For more information, visit
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